In a city celebrated for its distinct enclaves steeped in neighborhood pride, it’s a tricky proposition selecting The Best. After all, choosing a place to live is an exercise in juggling priorities—affordability, schools, safety, housing, yards, amenities, walkability, views, accessibility—that change over an individual’s lifetime. A 20-something looking for a starter condo and a family of four in need of more space demand different things from their neighborhoods.

And so, we’ve focused on finding the happiest ’hoods (in some cases a town or slice of an outlying city). Each has a lively and individual urban village, good walkability, interesting homes, plenty of green space and a strong community identity. But they’ve gone beyond keeping residents close to home. They are magnets for walkers, shoppers, diners and urban explorers from around the city and beyond.

What makes them worthy? We’ve asked those in the know to provide firsthand insights into what makes their home ’hoods so good, including the locals-only skinny on prized places and events.